Eurozone chief plays down fears of US isolationism

January 26, 2017

BRUSSELS (AP) — The head of the group of nations using the euro currency is brushing aside concern that U.S. President Donald Trump is turning his back on the European Union.

Jeroen Dijsselbloem, chairman of the so-called Eurogroup, said Thursday that “in the coming years we are on our own, which may be a good thing. Maybe that’s what Europe needs, to work together in a more productive way, to sort out its own problems.”

He also played down comments by Ted Malloch — the man tipped to be Trump’s ambassador to the EU — that the euro could collapse in the coming year.

Arriving to chair a Eurogroup meeting in Brussels, Dijsselbloem said, “I’ve been hearing these forecasts for four years now.” He added: “We’ll just keep on with what we’re doing.”